nexus_crossings | Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

On a sleepy summer morning a wonderful smell begins to waft throughout the Nexus. For those familiar with this place there can only be one explanation but for those new faces to the nexus this may be a strange thing: seeing so many people flocking toward the sweet and savory scents perfuming the Nexus.

There are a few tables set out this morning in the Plaza in front of a small cafe loaded with several carafes of coffee, a myriad of pastries from more than a few different worlds and cultures, and a large pan of eggs and sausage kept warm over a chafing dish. On either end of the table are disposable plates, cups, and cutlery as well as a few welcome pamphlets in a small container. Along the front of the tables is a hand made banner.

Meet and Greet

Manning the tables is Katsuya Suou, red apron on and a cup of coffee in hand. He looks far too cheerful for how early in the morning it is. It's always satisfying to put one of these on and see the throngs of different people stuck in line together to get their food and find a place to sit among the tables and couches nearby.

"Right then, is anyone hungry? I've got more than enough here for everyone so please mingle among yourselves or feel free to ask me anything you'd like."

((OOC: This thread is ALL ABOUT threadjacking and hopping. I encourage folks to tag on each other's comments and mingle rather than to reply only to me. This is a huge opportunity to have your characters interact with people they wouldn't have talked to before. Branch out! Meet new people! Scheme new schemes! Steal the last chocolate croissant!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gentleman, huh? Absolutely nothing about his current outfit was selected in the hopes of looking like a gentleman. Majima's brows furrow. He'll puzzle that one out later.

"Someone givin' ya trouble?" His earlier conversation with Adia and Caspar comes to mind -- Nexus stalkers -- and his irritation abates. It also helps that this woman is pretty damn easy on the eye. "Where they at? Want me to run 'em off?"

Majima cranes his neck around trying to get a bead on a target. It's not the most subtle of moves with only the one eye. "... Unless it's yer nana or somethin'. Last time I locked horns with an old lady it didn't end well for me."

When this stranger rises to the challenge Isidor blinks at him and then a smile crawls across her face. Well this is a pleasant surprise. Despite what she'd said she had expected a more uncouth response. "You really are a gentleman."

His twisting and craning, however, is more likely to draw attention than avert it. She puts a hand on his arm to bring his attention back onto her. "No, thank you. He's not an old lady, but you don't need to seek him out. I would be grateful for some time with different company though…" She lets her hand fall away and does some subtle looking around of her own. "Of course, I don't want to disrupt any of your plans..."

Majima makes a pained noise accompanied by a dramatic shushing gesture. "Nah, nah, nah! Don't go outin' me like that!"

His glance flicks between her face and the over-familiar touch. Between that and the insistent 'gentleman' assessment, he can't help but feel like he's being played. Just a bit.

Majima leans his hip against the table, and pops the rest of the beignet in his mouth. He dusts the powdered sugar from his leather gloves, then presses on before he's entirely done chewing: "This was my plan -- eat some free grub, rub an elbow or two. Maybe walk away with some new contacts."

The playful dramatics get a genuine laugh from her which she tries to hide reflexively, ducking her head before settling her smile on him again.

It's lucky that she's spent so much time around Harrowheart or she might not have been able to keep her expression pleasant through Majima speaking with his mouth full. Instead she manages to keep her smile in place, but decides against offering a hand to shake. He gets to keep the sugar off of his hands, and she's keen on doing the same.

"Is that so... Well, since you're being so obliging, I will be too. The name is Isidor. Isidor Durant."

Majima's accustomed to this demure reaction; the women back home hover a palm in front of their mouths as if having a laugh is something to be embarrassed about. Or it's just a way to be cute and flirty. Maybe a bit of both?

"Majima Goro," he says with a short bow of his head. "Just 'Majima' is good."

He runs thumb and forefinger along either side of his thin goatee -- less a thoughtful gesture and more to clean up any clinging crumbs. "Ya been visiting this place for a while? I feel like I seen yer face in passing."

Cute and flirty is not Isidor's intention… unless it helps her get what she wants. Hiding her emotions, however meagre the attempt, is a reinforced behaviour for her. Even in a place as safe as this, it's difficult to relax and old habits die hard.

"I've been here for a while, yes." She folds her hands in front of her and leans back against the table. "My brother has an office here and does consultancy work so I'm here quite regularly. And you? You don't look like you're new here."

"What kinda consulting? Like for business shit?" Majima pulls out a rumpled pack of cigarettes, politely offering it to Isidor before he takes one himself.

"Seems lame to come around an insane place like this just 'cause yer bro's doin' business. Ya make it sound like yer just goin' to the next town over."

He shrugs. "Or maybe ya been here long enough that this place is that fuckin' boring? I've only been visiting for ... I dunno. Can't be a year yet?" On reflection, it's actually a lot longer than he thought. Then again, his life has been a roller coaster of activity.

The idea of Viatorus giving business advice gets another laugh, but this time she's not trying to hide her smile when she shakes her head. She holds up a hand to politely decline the offer of a cigarette before folding her arms again. "No. He's a magical consultant. Between my work and managing his, I'm kept quite busy. It's difficult to be eternally in awe at the wonder of this place when you don't have the time to be."

"I came here a few years ago." She shrugs. "There's never a dull moment here, but that's not always good."

Majima snorts as he lights up. Magic. Of course. "Lots of people 'round here with special powers. Like a comic book come to life."

It's a little unnerving -- people who look normal enough casually mentioning they're immortal, or that they can summon fire from their fingertips. The embers at the end of his cigarette flare as he takes a drag. "Ya do any magic yerself, Isidor-han?"

"Isn't that the same as everywhere else? The people with the an abundance of power and skill are always the most notable."

Isidor continues to watch him while he takes his time to think and smoke. His question tugs her smile wider. "Would that make you uneasy?"

"Yeah, but where I come from 'power' just means bein' richer than god and 'skill' means street smarts. Or punchin' people extra good. Not shootin' spider webs outta yer hands or healin' bullet wounds in five minutes flat."

Majima pauses again, thinking about all of the bad or downright weird encounters he's had thus far. The hesitation might undercut some of his swagger. "Hate to disappoint, but naw. I'm a big boy. I can deal with a little hocus pocus."

"There are times where money is more powerful than superpowers, or street smarts are more valuable than ancient incantations." She lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug and stays quiet for a whole half a minute before curiosity overcomes her and she tilts her head at him. "Did you really see someone shoot spider webs out of their hands?"

Majima gets a slow nod. "Good to hear it… Yes, I can do magic. I take it you can't?"

"Yeah, some kid in a jumpsuit. Said he was Spider-Man," Majima says with a grimace, leaving out just how excited he was.

He reaches over and ashes his cigarette in an empty coffee mug before giving Isidor a lopsided smile. "If turning fifty yen into fifty million yen counts, then sure, I can do magic!"

"Spider-Man?" Isidor does notice herself wrinkling up her nose. "That sounds a little… strange. Did he have eight legs?"

Oh now that gets her to smile wider. A businessman. There are all kinds of people in the Nexus, but interacting with businessmen in the Nexus is still a bit of a novelty for her.

"That's a bold claim…" She eyes him, expression turning sly. "How much of an exaggeration is it?"

"Just the four standard-issue human limbs. Real let-down," Majima says with a snort.

He unabashedly preens at her attention, propping his free hand on his hip and smiling smugly. "Could even say I did one better. Last couple of years, I pulled two businesses outta the hole. Had 'em in the black and turnin' a healthy profit in a few months. Customers were clamborin' to get in the door."

A pause for a quick puff before he adds, very proudly: "And everything was above board!"

Isidor tips her head in a passing shrug. "Well that's marginally less creepy..."

"That is impressive," she says with not a hint of sarcasm or condescension. In fact, she finds herself eyeing Majima with newfound curiosity. All this time she's been doing her best to power through business ventures in the Nexus and it's difficult. Finding an able businessman is good one way or another. Even if they end up as competition, at least she'll have scouted him ahead of time…

"I take it your preferred line of business isn't always… legitimate." She can't refrain from asking any longer. "What kind of business are you in?"

"Oi, I still play by some rules. They just ain't as strict!" he says, pretending to look wounded.

"My business ain't nothin' fancy. Movin' goods around. Security. Games of chance." Majima gives Isidor a sideways glance. He has no doubt she'll catch his drift. "That's all back at home in Tokyo. Here though ... this place looks lousy with opportunities to pull in some serious cheddar. Just need to get to work!"

Especially given there's no magical field to protect against financial harm or stupid decisions.

Tokyo. Now there's a region she hasn't been able to touch. In her world, anyway. Another Earth's Tokyo might not have the same magical bureaucracy to deal with. One step at a time, Isidor...

"And what opportunities do you have your eye on?"

"With all the different worlds, I'm seein' the potential for some trade," Majima says, almost blandly. "Maybe some real estate investments."

He glances up from his cigarette to furtively scan the surrounding crowd. Then he leans a little closer and drops his voice. "But there's this idea I keep comin' back to ...

"With all these powerful types around here -- magic, mutations, whatever, right? Who wouldn't fuckin' love to watch 'em throw down? See which of those freaky powers comes out on top? I know I would."

Trade and real estate. Both very sensible investments. That last idea, though...

Isidor turns to face him properly, a smile crawling back onto her face. "I thought about something similar." She twists, scanning around them for any nosy strangers and then inches a tiny bit closer, lowering her voice. "A kind of... 'arena' could be used to solve all kinds of disputes. It would be great entertainment, and people could try out their skills against opponents from all over the multiverse. You could host tournaments which guards and mercenaries could essentially use as advertising. The marketing potentials are limitless."

He looks momentarily startled. This beautiful, put-together woman wants in on an underground fighting ring? Majima should know better than to judge a book by its cover. That confusion shifts to wide-eyed excitement when she expands on the idea.

"Right? That shit's a fuckin' goldmine. I've been sniffin' around a little -- you been here longer, probably got a better feel -- but sounds like lots of second-rate operations have come and gone. All those hero types tend to put the kibosh on that."

He grins and raises an index finger. "But if it's handled right -- if it's legit -- they ain't got nothin' to complain about!"

What she's heard of other 'attempts' at similar ideas are nothing worth talking about. Majima's free and easy belittling of it all gets a small laugh from her. Those past attempts were laughably foolish.

"Whenever you bring in a new business into a community you need to have the community behind you to really make it thrive," she says as though it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Tilting her head down, she keeps her voice quiet and conspiratorial. "I'm the process of finalising a research centre for the Nexus. Just think what a combination between a fighting arena and research centre could do. They could work together for different businesses, weapons testing, defence technology, health technology… The list goes on and on. If I had the time I'd get to work on it right now."

"Natch," he says in agreement with her first point. Winning over the community is one of the pillars of organized crime -- at least where he comes from. Don't piss of the locals if you want to stay in business.

Now this is the kind of opportunity he was aiming for! Majima reigns in his excitement, trying to look more casual. Whether this is for Isidor or any observers, it's hard to say. He takes one last, long drag from his cigarette before flicking it into the dregs of his cold coffee. It expires with a soft hiss.

"Where'd ya get the capital for a project like that? All private? Ain't like there's a government issuin' grants." At least, none that he knows about.

Isidor's eyes follow the cigarette and she thinks, just for one moment, about how gross that is. But then, she's never been a fan of the habit itself in the first place. Majima's question draws her thoughts to more important matters.

"Ah. Isn't that the question…" She smiles, her head rolling towards the crowd before she returns her gaze to him. "All private. So far all from my own and family funds. While I have plans to monetise the research centre, that will take time before it turns a profit. I'd like to be able to set up an arena, but there's nothing worse than getting family involved in your plans more than absolutely necessary. It gives me time to organise everything, I guess."

It doesn't even occur to Majima that he should be self-conscious about his habit. Close quarters, public spaces ... it's all fair game to a man who hails from late-eighties Japan.

The snakeskin jacket creaks as he crosses his arms. "So everything out of pocket, huh? You got enough, or are ya lookin' for investors to fill in where your fam can't?"

Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

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